Basically anything that pleases Scummy, our megaphone-toting slime buddy, will be considered for entry into the interstellar archive aboard Scummy’s saucer.

How to Submit

Include submissions as an .RTF or .DOC attachment sent to PlanetScummSubmissions@gmail.com along with a brief cover letter in the email body. Please attach only your story (no images).

Stories, or collections of flash fiction, should be 1000-7500 words in length, and submitted in standard manuscript format. Use the subject line “Planet Scumm Submission” followed by your story title.

Submit only one short story or flash collection. We will not accept multiple submissions from the same author in one reading period.

Simultaneous submissions are okay, as long as you promptly withdraw a story accepted elsewhere. Submissions that are too long or short will be rejected immediately, as will those that are incorrectly formatted. In addition, submissions covering the topics below aren’t likely to play well with our slush readers.

The No-No List

Zombies, vampires, werewolves, pirates, ninjas

Cthuloid/Mythos tales

Straight horror without a clear speculative element

Erotica

Fan fiction

Sword-and-spell fantasy

Steampunk

Anthropomorphic animals

Stories that end with “It was all a dream” or “Turns out they were in a simulation”

Use With Caution

Time travel

Political allegory

Satire/Comedy

Lasers (pew-pew handheld ones, and big blue planet-killers)

FTL travel

Schedule, Rights and Payment

Accepted authors are paid minimum payment of $20. Half the profits from the issue will be re-invested in the magazine, the other half are split among all contributors.

Issue #3 will be released January 31, 2017 as an e-book, audiobook and print magazine. Most accepted stories will also be published on our website. For accepted stories, we’re asking for first world English print and electronic publishing rights for six months and non-exclusive rights thereafter.

Authors will receive their first payment within 6 months of their issue’s release date, and an annual residuals check. Contributors will also receive a free digital copy of the issue.